


the warmth of your light

by guitarstrings



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: A LOT of Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 20:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14173071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guitarstrings/pseuds/guitarstrings
Summary: Betty glances out the window, pensive, and Veronica moves to the seat across hers, lower lip tucked between her teeth as she stretches out her hands to gently skim the bags underneath Betty’s eyes.“There’s something else that’s bothering you,” Veronica says quietly, regarding Betty’s tired features.or, how Betty deals with the Black Hood's letter.





	the warmth of your light

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm finally back! This one is actually long overdue since I started writing this before lumiere, darling, but writer's block hit me pretty hard and I've been awfully distracted by a lot of things. I apologize for that, and I hope this makes up for my long absence. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Also, the title of this fic has been taken from "The Day You Said Goodnight" by Hale.

Ghosts. Demons. Evil spirits. The monster under your bed.

Those are the subjects of horror stories parents tell their children at night, and Betty was no exception to hearing any of those. Like so many others, she was taught to fear the supernatural, to be afraid of these unexplainable occurrences.

But what parents never tell you is that the real monsters are people. That it’s not the supernatural you should be on the lookout for, but people with evil intentions.

And if you haven’t encountered such a person? Well, lucky you.

The people of Riverdale, unfortunately, don’t have that kind of luck. Not with some unknown person calling himself the Black Hood lurking in the shadows, lying in wait to attack his next victims.

And that’s where the problem lies. At least with the monster under your bed, you know _exactly_ where it is, and so it’s easy to put a countermeasure into action.

But when you’ve got an unidentified man blending in and watching from the shadows? Well, it’s not easy to come up with a plan to take him down or at the very least to avoid him.

(So Betty can kind of understand why Archie would set up his own private army to retaliate against the Black Hood.

Because she knows she’d do the same if the Black Hood dared so much as to take a single hair out of Veronica or Polly’s head.

Fear has a way of making people do crazy, reckless things they normally wouldn’t do, after all.

Not to mention the paranoia that comes along with it, too.)

Betty sighs, rubs at her tired eyes as she closes the curtains, senses on full alert and denying her of any sleep despite the exhaustion weighing her down.

The past few nights have been a constant tug of war between falling asleep due to exhaustion, or being too tired _but_ finding herself unable to lie still in bed and rest. And sometimes, she doesn’t even know how to distinguish between the two anymore.

She resists the urge to pull the curtains open again for the nth time, knows it’s the irrational need to be afraid of something, _anything,_ that’s tempting her to stay up all night and keep watch.

Not that there’s _actually_ someone lying in wait to attack them. Or is there?

That’s another thing Betty can’t differentiate between, either.

“Looking out for the boogeyman?”

At the sound of Veronica’s voice, Betty draws the curtains to a close, and she turns to shift her gaze towards the bed. Despite the darkness enveloping the bedroom, Betty can make out Veronica’s figure clearly, sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard.

“I’m pretty sure the boogeyman would be a lot easier to deal with than the Black Hood,” Betty says, smiling tiredly as she stands up from the windowsill. “How long have you been up?”

“A while,” Veronica admits, fiddling with the sheets pooling at her lap. “I’ve been waiting for you, actually. Can’t sleep?”

Betty shakes her head, hops down from where she’s sitting and makes her way back to the bed. Veronica sidles close to her, resting her head on Betty’s shoulder and tangling their legs together.

“Truth be told, I’m not sure if I can’t sleep or if I don’t want to,” Betty murmurs, absentmindedly stroking Veronica’s hair.

“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Veronica yawns, cups Betty’s face in both her hands.

The gentle touch is enough to dissipate the tension in Betty’s body, easing the rigidity in her shoulders and unwinding the tight coil in her stomach. Veronica smiles up at her, the only source of warmth and comfort to Betty these days.

( _Veronica_ is the biggest reason why she hasn’t given in to fear, the sole reason she’s still standing at the end of the day despite repeatedly being knocked back down by everything else.

The sole reason she fights to live another day, because she knows Veronica’s fighting alongside her, too.

Fighting and healing her wounds until they fade into nothing more than barely-noticeable scars.)

“What’s on your mind?” Veronica asks softly, eyes searching Betty’s.

(Searching, but not probing.

Unlike her mother, who always has a hard stare at the ready in order to force answers out of her. It’s why she’d had a hard time looking people in the eye for the longest time, too afraid to find that same, cold, piercing stare of her mother’s in their faces.

But Veronica-

Veronica doesn’t make her feel like wanting to shrink back, doesn’t make her feel small or that she’s never going to be enough, no matter what she does.

Rather, Veronica’s eyes are the softest, most understanding Betty’s ever seen in a person, even though she, too, has been weathered and tested by the storms.

Hardened, but not hard.)

“A lot,” Betty pauses, buries her nose into Veronica’s hair. “But you, mostly.”

At that, Veronica’s lips twitch into an affectionate smile, a light in the dark, so to speak. And so is the sensation of Veronica’s fingers trailing her exposed collarbone, stopping right above her shoulder blade.

“And what about me?” Veronica breathes, eyelashes fluttering innocently that has Betty going dizzy.

“Everything,” Betty swallows, breath coming out shallow as Veronica’s face inches closer, eyes starry and rendering her speechless. “Just- everything.”

“Care to be more specific?” Veronica murmurs, lips brushing against Betty’s cheek, grazing the sides of her jaw.

“Well, right now, that you drive me c-crazy,” Betty stutters, sliding her hands towards Veronica’s waist out of instinct.

Veronica grins against her neck. “I drive you crazy?”

“Only since you kissed me at cheerleading tryouts,” Betty tries to retort, but it’s difficult to sound smart when Veronica’s _so close_ to her.

“I’ve been driving you insane for that long?” Veronica laughs, bright and clear.

“You have no idea,” Betty groans, dropping her head on Veronica’s shoulder.

“But seriously now,” Veronica starts, and Betty pulls back to meet her gaze. “Is there anything else on your mind? Something that’s… bothering you?”

(It’s no surprise that Veronica can see right through her, can tell when there’s something else swirling around inside her head.

For so long, she’s been so used to neatly tucking away how she _really_ feels deep inside, a façade that had been easy to put up and maintain because no one had ever been able to read her.

Until Veronica, that is.

And little by little, she’s been able to work through her issues with Veronica’s help.

Though it’s still hard, sometimes, for her to speak up her mind because her mother is always the first and last to shut her down. And having to go through that _every day_ had taken its toll on her.

But Veronica-

Veronica doesn’t shut her down, doesn’t invalidate her innermost insecurities or dictates what she’s supposed to do or feel.

And if not for that, if not for _Veronica,_ Betty’s sure she would have become worse.)

“Just wondering how things are going to get worse from here on,” Betty mumbles, fingers twitching at Veronica’s thigh.

“Well,” Veronica smiles faintly, taking Betty’s hand and leading it to her cheek. Deep, brown eyes giving Betty a surge of courage. “Worse or not, you have me, B.”

_You have me._

Betty can’t think of anything better than that, of anything better than having Veronica by her side through everything.

“Yeah,” Betty inhales, basking in the way Veronica looks at her, eyes shining in the dark. “Yeah, you have me, too.”

(Eyes that make everything brighter despite the growing darkness around them.)

* * *

 

The monster is much closer than Betty thought, close enough to dare to send her a letter contained in a big, brown envelope that screams for attention.

When Betty told Veronica about expecting things to get worse, receiving a letter from the Black Hood was _not_ in the list of scenarios she envisioned happening.

Her hands tremble as she reads the letter, and she feels herself getting sicker and sicker with every word. By the time she gets to the end, her palms are clammy with sweat, breaths coming out rattled and stomach twisting and turning at the implications of it all.

Then Kevin bursts in as she sets the envelop down on her desk, and he starts talking as soon as he sits down but Betty can’t hear a word he’s saying. Her head is spinning in circles, throat closing up and _oh God._

_Veronica._

How is she going to tell Veronica about the letter?

More than that, how is Betty going to explain to Veronica that _she’s_ the reason why Fred Andrews had been shot, the reason why Grundy was murdered?

“Betty?”

Betty swallows hard, stares unseeingly at Kevin who is looking at her with a concerned expression. Even then, all Betty could think of is _thank God it isn’t Veronica sitting right in front of me._

“I got a letter from the Black Hood,” she whispers hoarsely, watching Kevin’s eyes go wide in horror.

“Wait, what? When??”

“Just-“ Betty grips the edge of her desk, shakes her head in an attempt to get the spinning in control. “Just now. He said that he’s doing all of this for me.”

“He said what?? Betty, that’s _insane_. You can’t believe what this- what this psychopath is telling you,” Kevin rushes out, voice rising higher in pitch.

Betty stays silent, unsure how to respond. If she truly is the Black Hood’s motivation behind this madness, how could she ever live with the fact that she’s playing a part in other people’s suffering?

In Riverdale being thrown into chaos and spreading terror among the people living in it?

“You know Veronica’s going to tell you the same thing, right?”

At the mention of Veronica, Betty’s heart seizes in her chest. Would she? Because if there’s one thing Betty has learned about Veronica over the time they’ve spent together, it’s that she _hates_ seeing other people suffer.

And if Veronica finds out that she is what pushed the Black Hood to do these things…

Betty doesn’t think she wants to see Veronica’s reaction to that.

“She’s going to hate me, I’m sure of it,” Betty strains out, the pressure in her chest making it harder for her to breathe.

_Oh God._

Veronica is going to hate her. Hate her and never want to speak to her ever again. Pretend as though she doesn’t exist, as though what they have now never happened.

“Be-“

“Hello, my dear Betty!”

The strong grip Betty has on her desk increases, knuckles turning pale white when she realizes Veronica had just walked in. Her eyes fly towards the large envelop on her desk, and it screams, _hey, notice me!_

Gulping, Betty slowly raises her head until she meets Veronica’s gaze, and it’s enough to trigger a memory from only a week before.

( _Worse or not, you have me, B._

If Veronica knew now that things were _this_ worse, would she still think and feel the same about Betty? About _them?_

Or would she want to forget every little thing they’ve shared, every touch that had made its mark on Betty?

Forget or pretend that their feelings for each other didn’t ever happen?

Would Veronica still find it in herself to _love_ her after finding out?

_You have me._

Would Betty still _have_ Veronica?)

“Did… something happen?” Veronica asks in concern as Betty and Kevin exchange anxious glances.

 _Don’t say anything,_ Betty says out loud in her mind, hopes her expression can get the message across.

“Oh, no, we were talking about Polly,” Kevin explains, and Betty nearly heaves a sigh of relief. Kevin is a far better liar than her by miles, so Veronica is surer to believe him than her.

“Hmm, okay…” Veronica says after a beat, unconvinced.

_Crap. Act normal, Betty. Act normal. Don’t try to shove the letter away._

“Yeah, we’ve been wondering about how she’s holding up,” Betty adds, standing up from her seat.

The doubtful expression on Veronica’s face clears up a little, and Betty throws in a smile for reassurance.

“Well, if you two say so,” Veronica relents.

“Anyway, I have to head home now. See you guys tomorrow,” Kevin smiles and leaves, leaving Betty and Veronica alone in the room.

_Don’t act suspicious, Cooper._

“So, Pussycat rehearsals is finished?” Betty asks casually, grabbing her jacket and moving away from the desk. Hopes Veronica doesn’t notice that her hands are shaking.

“Yeah, and Josie wants to stop by Pop’s for milkshakes,” Veronica answers, moving towards Betty. “Do you wanna go?”

 _Act normal,_ Betty tells herself again. _Accept the offer so Veronica doesn’t catch on._

“Sure, I’m actually in the mood for milkshakes, too,” Betty agrees, slipping on her jacket.

“Okay, great,” Veronica beams, looping her arm around Betty’s. “I told them to go ahead and that we’ll catch up.”

Betty nods, plants a kiss on the top of Veronica’s head as they exit the office, her mind lingering on the ominous envelop sitting inside as they get on her pickup truck. Brain racing with what ifs and what the Black Hood’s next move is going to be.

And worst of all, _who_ his next victim is.

_Shut up, Cooper. Don’t go there._

Without saying a word, Betty starts the engine, her grip on the steering wheel tight as she backs out of the parking lot and exits the school grounds. Veronica reaches across the dashboard to touch her knee, and Betty releases a breath.

“Has Polly called you again?”

“Not yet…”

Veronica hums, rubs the area around Betty’s knee. “She’s strong, though. All that stuff that’s happened to her, and she hasn’t ever thought of giving up.”

“Yeah, yeah she is,” Betty says quietly, wonders if getting her to give up was the Black Hood’s objective in sending her that letter.

(Wants her to give up on everything, on everyone, and obey whatever command he gives her without a second thought.

For her to _hurt_ the people she cares most about, much like the way he’s hurting so many others.

It then becomes clear to Betty that whoever is behind this chaos wants everyone to be miserable like him. Misery loves its company after all, doesn’t it?

And misery has always loved her.)

They arrive at Pop’s, and Betty parks the car and hops down from her seat, jogging to the other side to help Veronica out.

“Your hands are cold,” Veronica comments, cupping hers over Betty’s and blowing over them.

“Thanks,” Betty swallows, not having the heart to tell Veronica it isn’t simply because of the cold weather, but something else, _someone_ else, to be more specific.

Veronica smiles, brushes her lips over Betty’s knuckles. “There. Feel warmer?”

“Y-yeah, I do,” Betty says, gaze dropping over to where Veronica’s lips have touched and left a tingling warmth spreading throughout her skin.

Tilting her head up, Veronica reaches out tugs on the lapels of Betty’s jacket, eyelashes fluttering as she pulls Betty towards her. Breaths coming out in rapid puffs, Betty leans in, savoring the sensation of Veronica’s fingers trailing her jaw and of their lips pressing together softly.

Veronica hums in satisfaction, about to deepen the kiss when…

“Hey, you two sickening lovebirds! Stop kissing and get in here!”

Startled, Betty jumps back, but Veronica tugs her back, unbothered by the sudden interruption.

“Ignore Josie, she’s just jealous,” Veronica mumbles, guiding Betty’s arms around her waist.

“Are you two going to stop or am I going to have to go there and break it apart?”

Veronica huffs and rolls her eyes, taking a step back as she calls out, “Fine! We’re coming, we’re coming! Impatient much?”

“I heard that! And you better not blame me if you freeze your asses off out there!” Josie shouts, the chimes hanging on the glass door ringing as she hurries back in.

Veronica makes a dismissive sound, squeezes Betty’s fingers. “Come on, we don’t want to keep Queen Josie waiting.”

Betty nods, squeezes Veronica’s fingers back as they trudge towards, and she feels warmer the instant they step inside. They spot Valerie waving at them, and Veronica pulls Betty in their direction.

“Oh thank God, I thought you were going to take forever,” Josie scoffs, and Valerie and Melody grin at each other.

“Don’t mind Josie, she’s cranky today,” Melody laughs as Betty and Veronica take their seats.

“No, I am _not_ cranky,” Josie retorts.

“Mmhmm, sure you’re not,” Veronica smirks.

“I swe-“

“Anyway,” Melody cuts Josie off, flashes a smile at Betty. “We’re glad that you’re able to come, Betty.”

“Oh, thanks,” Betty smiles back. “Sorry I haven’t been able to before, The Blue and Gold has been keeping me busy a lot.”

“Speaking of, Veronica says you’ve got plans to work for The New York Times in the future. Is that true?” Valerie asks curiously.

“Yup, that’s the plan,” Betty nods.

_If the Black Hood doesn’t ruin everything first._

“Then you better write an article about my Pussycats when that happens. Front page, nothing less,” Josie declares, snapping her fingers.

“Hold it right there,” Veronica retorts, gripping Betty tight. “Not before _I_ get front page first.”

“Come on, you’ve been plastered on the front page a few times before!”

“Well, I couldn’t care less since those articles weren’t written by my girlfriend in the first place,” Veronica argues, too busy over her squabble with Josie to notice that Betty has gone stiff.

“Okay!” Melody claps, breaking the argument. “Who’s hungry?”

Valerie leans forward, motioning for Betty to listen. Curious as to what she wants to say, Betty tilts forward, lending her ear to Valerie.

“Sorry about that. They usually get along pretty well but once their competitive streaks come out, this happens,” Valerie chuckles.

“So Melody’s your peacemaker?” Betty asks.

“Yup, she’s gotten really good at it, too.”

“She must have had a lot of practice,” Betty says with a laugh, glimpsing at Veronica. Fiercely competitive, but kind, _loving_ Veronica.

And that’s why Betty will do everything in her power to make sure Veronica _never_ gets in harm’s way.

“Betty?”

Betty does a little start, eyes snapping to a concerned-looking Veronica.

_Shit._

So much for acting normal and undistracted.

“Sorry, uh, what were you saying?” Betty smiles, hoping to play it off. In front of the others, at least, because she knows it won’t work on Veronica.  

Thankfully, they do, because they don’t seem to have noticed the slip in her behavior.

“They’re asking where you plan to study for college,” Veronica says softly, discreetly sliding her hand underneath the table to calm the twitching of Betty’s fingers. Lips curling in a frown when it becomes worse, but says nothing of it. 

_Fuck. Control it, Cooper. Stop twitching._

“Oh, I’m aiming for NYU. I’ve been building up my portfolio for their journalism program,” Betty answers, sucking in a deep breath when she has the chance. “What about you guys?”

“Wow, that’s an amazing goal,” Melody whistles.

“What about you guys? What’s your plan?” Betty asks, taking a sip from her glass.

“We’re planning to continue the Pussycats and make it big, and you can bet it’s going to happen,” Josie declares confidently.  

“I just wish we could graduate and get out of here soon,” Valerie sighs.

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Betty says, keeping the exhaustion in her voice to a minimum.

Under the table, Veronica gives her hand a comforting squeeze, and Betty squeezes back. It’s grounding, the way Veronica touches her, as though nothing can come between them. As though nothing in this world can tear them apart.

Except…

Is there really nothing, _no one_ who can?

The urge to curl her fingers into her palms rears its ugly head, and Betty has to remind herself that if she does that, Veronica is sure to catch on that there’s a deeper problem she’s facing. So she stops before she can start and instead focuses on the warmth of Veronica’s fingertips running across the expanse of her wrist.

“Sorry ladies, gotta run. My mom needs me,” Josie rolls her eyes, waving her phone.

“Yeah, Val and I need to go, too. Sorry we have to cut this short, you guys,” Melody says, slipping on her jacket as she stands up.

“See you two tomorrow at school,” Valerie waves, and Betty and Veronica return their goodbyes.

Betty glances out the window, pensive, and Veronica moves to the seat across hers, lower lip tucked between her teeth as she stretches out her hands to gently skim the bags underneath Betty’s eyes.

“There’s something else that’s bothering you,” Veronica says quietly, regarding Betty’s tired features.

“Ronnie…”

“I won’t ask or pressure you for answers, but-“ Veronica clasps her hands over Betty’s, “-I’m always going to listen, when you’re ready to tell me.”

 _That’s the thing,_ Betty wants to scream, _I_ can’t _tell you because I don’t know if you’ll look at me the same way again._

But she shoves the urge down her throat, instead nods in response.

(Veronica doesn’t let go of her hands, as though afraid that if she does, Betty might get up and leave without so much a word or even a goodbye.

Betty’s afraid she might already be starting to slip away from Veronica.)

* * *

 

Betty dreams that she and Veronica are alone at Pop’s, talking freely over milkshakes as though peace has finally fallen upon Riverdale. There’s no Black Hood, no cases to solve, no cowering in fear, _nothing._

Just… Riverdale as it was before Jason’s murder, except _better_ and brighter because Veronica is now here.

Veronica throws her head back and laughs at something Betty says, raven hair spilling across her shoulders and pearly white teeth glittering underneath the neon lights. And it’s- it’s all Betty has ever wanted.

Except, things don’t always go according to plan.

When Betty blinks and opens her eyes again, the scene that unfolds before them is nothing short of horrifying. Pop’s is suddenly full of bodies dropping to the floor one after the other like flies, gunshots and sobs and screams of terror and people begging for their lives to be spared echoing in the air.

It’s utter chaos, _madness,_ and fear strikes Betty to the very core when the Black Hood emerges among the pile of dead bodies, black gloves and hood stained red with blood, the barrel of the gun staring them down as if to say: _your life is in my hands._

Betty moves to shield Veronica, but her hand meets nothing but air as she reaches for Veronica’s.

“Betty!”

Horrified, Betty whips around and finds Veronica standing in the middle of the diner, brown eyes wide and full of terror and _no. No no no no no._

Her feet spring to life right there and then, but Veronica is getting farther and farther away from her reach, and the Black Hood is walking calmly, silently, gun trained towards Veronica and-

Betty screams the exact same moment he pulls the trigger, and she runs and runs but she’s too late. _Too late._ Veronica crumples to the floor, and the agony and anguish it causes Betty is more than enough to make her feel as though her very soul had been ripped away from her body.

“Veronica, please,” she sobs, shaking uncontrollably as she holds a near-lifeless Veronica in her arms.

And there’s- there’s blood _everywhere,_ seeping from Veronica’s stomach and _God no._ There _has_ to be something she can do, because Veronica can’t- she _can’t_ die.

She just _can’t._

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Betty gasps, tears streaming down her face as Veronica stretches out her hand to touch her cheek, and it’s _wrong,_ so so wrong because she’s supposed to be warm. Not- not _cold._

And Betty can’t take it anymore, can’t bear the endless torment of watching the life fade from Veronica’s eyes any longer that she bolts upright in her bed with a choked sob, palms clammy and her neck and forehead drenched in cold sweat.

It doesn’t quite register yet that she had already woken up, the line separating nightmare from reality practically non-existent to Betty as she gets up and shakily makes her way to the bathroom. She turns the faucet on and washes her face, her haunted expression staring back at her from the mirror.

Her hands are clenched tight around the edges of the sink, knuckles turning pale from the exertion.

Shaking her head, Betty forces deep, heavy breaths into her lungs and opens and closes her fists, the image of Veronica’s lifeless form still fresh in her mind.

And her blood, God, _Veronica’s_ blood seeping into the floor and staining the tiles with a deep scarlet. There was just too much, _too much_ , and-

“Betty, what’s wrong?”

Betty forces in another deep breath and fixes her gaze to where Veronica’s hands are holding her trembling ones, and she can only shake her head in response, her breaths coming out frantic and erratic.

( _What’s wrong?_

It’s the first question Veronica asks when her hands start to quiver, apparently a habit of hers when something _big_ is worrying her. 

And it seems she has different habits for certain levels of anxiety, a fact she hadn’t even known or would probably never would have noticed if Veronica hadn’t pointed it out.

Twitching fingers meant being worried over how someone would respond to a negative thought she voiced out.

Tapping meant being nervous before delivering a big speech or before performing with the vixens.

Uncontrollable, shaking hands and shallow, frantic breaths meant something along the lines of what’s happening to her _now,_ big enough to render her unable to think rationally.

All of which Veronica, and only _Veronica_ has ever been able to stop and calm her down.)

“Hey, come here,” Veronica murmurs softly, guiding Betty’s head down to rest on her shoulder. Fingers running soothingly up and down her hair. “Deep breaths, okay? One…”

Matching her breathing with Veronica’s, Betty counts to ten in her head, until the tremors racking her have subsided. Reality then starts to sink in, the warmth of Veronica’s body and the fact that she’s _alive_ and standing and not lying on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding her drawing out a relieved sob from Betty.

(Betty can only hold Veronica tight and pray that her nightmare doesn’t come true.

And as she listens to the soothing lull of Veronica’s voice, Betty vows to herself that she won’t be powerless like in her dream, that she’ll do _everything_ in her power to make sure the monster doesn’t haunt Veronica, too.)

* * *

 

The nightmare haunts Betty everywhere she goes, and it’s beginning to take its toll on her. Sleep is harder to come by and the image of Veronica, bleeding and lying in her arms, replaying over and over inside her head like an unwanted memory.

It’s an added source of stress and tension, and coupled with the ominous letter tucked away inside her bag, Betty turns into an anxious mess. Any noise close enough to resemble a gunshot has her jumping out of her skin, and she’s running out of excuses to tell Veronica as to why she’s been acting jittery as of late.

It then dawns on her she can’t keep Veronica safe with the way she is right now, so she turns to Archie for help.

“You don’t… you don’t actually believe what he wrote, do you?” Archie asks, slowly, as he slides the letter – the bane of Betty’s existence – back into the envelope. “Does Veronica know about this?”

“No, I haven’t told her,” Betty says quietly, picking at the sleeves of her jacket. “I don’t want her to get caught up in my mess, Arch, and I can’t risk her getting hurt by staying close to her,” she finishes shakily, chest constricting painfully at what she has to do.

Archie stops dead in his tracks, fixing Betty with a perplexed look. “Betty, you don’t mean-“

“Yeah,” Betty says hoarsely, gritting her teeth to steel herself. “That’s why I need your help, Archie. This is the only way to keep her safe.”

“What, by you staying away from her?” Archie shakes his head, clearly disagreeing. “Betty, this is _Veronica_ we’re talking about. You of all people should know how stubborn she can be.”

“And that’s exactly why she can’t get involved in this,” Betty argues. “ _Please_ , Archie, please make sure she stays out of harm’s way.”    

Releasing a sigh, Archie runs a hand through his hair and gives a nod. “Fine, okay. I’ll do what I can. But Betty,” he places a hand on her shoulder, voice soft and sincere. “None of this is your fault, okay? I don’t care what the Black Hood says. None of the blame falls on your shoulders, and I’m sure Veronica would feel the same way.”

Betty wants to disagree, wants to argue that she’s responsible for this chaos, for everyone’s suffering and fear.

For why Archie’s dad is currently lying in a hospital bed, when he’s done nothing wrong to warrant being shot by a trigger-happy man she had somehow managed to set loose.

But she doesn’t have the strength to argue, so she just nods, deciding to save the energy for what she has to do later on.

The sooner she rips the bandage off, the better.

* * *

 

Except, it’s much more difficult than she thinks when Veronica walks out of the music room later that day, face lighting up when she finds Betty waiting for her outside. Betty swallows the lump in her throat and glances at Veronica, drinking in the richness of her brown eyes, the curve of her lips, and the dimples in her cheeks. Thinks she’s never seen anything or anyone more _beautiful,_ more full of kindness and empathy and _love_ than Veronica.

“Hey there,” Veronica smiles, pressing a lingering kiss against Betty’s cheek. “So, are we on for movie night?”

“Yeah, of course,” Betty nods, and Veronica beams and pats her cheek.

How could she even _think_ of breaking Veronica’s heart like this?

(Veronica, who has been nothing but patient with her on her worst days.

Veronica, who _knows_ her better than anyone, who knows how to handle and tame the darkness inside of her. A darkness the Black Hood wants to harness and use for his sinister plans.

Veronica, who trusts and still _loves_ her despite having seen that darkness.

Maybe the monster Betty needs to keep away from Veronica isn’t the Black Hood, but _herself._ )

* * *

 

“Do you want to switch movies?”

Betty blinks, her hands stilling against Veronica’s hair, only now becoming aware that she hasn’t been paying any attention to what they were supposed to be watching.

“I- no, this is fine,” Betty says, looking down at Veronica whose head is on her lap.

Pursing her lips, Veronica reaches for the remote and hits pause, blanketing the living room in silence.

“Is it, though?” Veronica asks quietly, giving Betty the impression she’s talking about something different. “Because lately you’ve been-“ she worries her lower lip, lowering her gaze. “You haven’t been eating right, you’re _barely_ sleeping, and when you do, you have nightmares.”

“V…”

“You wake up screaming, and you look like you’re about to jump out of your skin when you hear loud noises,” Veronica frowns, drawing her knees to her chest. “Something’s scaring you, and I hate it.”

Betty averts her gaze, the horrifying scene of Veronica bleeding to death haunting her once more. The sound of the gunshot ringing in her ears, loud and piercing and _taunting._

The triumphant gleam in the Black Hood’s eyes as he watches Veronica crumple to the ground.

Clenching her teeth, Betty stands up from the couch, her back turned to Veronica. Steels herself to do what she’s been putting off for so long.

She shouldn’t even _be_ here tonight. She was supposed to end things earlier, supposed to stay away from Veronica as soon as she can.

“Betty?”

Betty squares her shoulders and turns around, swallowing hard as she looks Veronica in the eye from across the room, the darkness making her expression unreadable.

Veronica draws her gaze to the ground, loose strands of raven hair sticking up on different ends and the shadows dancing across her face. Wordlessly, she tugs on the sleeves of the oversized hoodie that she wears, waiting for Betty to say something.

(And God, it _hurts._ Hurts more than any pain Betty has had to endure in her life.

Hurts that Veronica is wearing her clothes while she’s doing this to her, to _them_.

 _Everything_ just hurts that it’s a damn miracle she’s still standing, still _breathing_.)

“We can’t-“ Betty pinches her eyes shut, chest tight and jaw quivering as she forces the next words out of her mouth. “We need to stop, Veronica.”

“Stop?” Veronica looks up, uncomprehending. “What do you mean, stop?”

“We can’t be together anymore.”

“Wha-“ Veronica shakes her head, laughing in disbelief. “It’s a little too early for April Fool’s, don’t you think?”

“I’m not-“ Betty exhales sharply, shuffling her feet against the floor. “I’m not joking, Veronica. This-“ she closes her eyes, waving her hand back and forth between them. “-this has to end.”

“Why?” Veronica rises from her seat, a flash of hurt crossing her expression. “Why are you pushing me away?”

“I’m not-“ Betty paces back and forth, and she’s drowning, drowning, _drowning_ and it’s so damn hard to _breathe._ “I’m not who you think I am, okay? And you _know_ what I’m capable of.”

“What are you-“ Veronica stops midway, eyes going wide with realization. “This is about the Black Hood, isn’t it?”

“It’s not just about him. It’s about me, about what _I_ did,” Betty slumps her shoulders, exhausted and defeated. “I’m the reason for this madness, Veronica. _I_ was the one who set him loose.”

“Betty, what are you talking about?” Veronica presses.

Without a word, Betty reaches for the envelope in her bag and slides it towards Veronica.

“ _This_ is what I’m talking about.”

Confused, Veronica opens the envelope and reaches inside to take out the letter. Silently, Betty watches her, resisting the urge to curl her fingers inwards.

“Betty…” Veronica whispers hoarsely, and Betty prepares herself for the inevitable. For Veronica to yell at her to get out of her sight and never come near her ever again.

For Veronica to _hate_ her.

“Do you see what I mean when we need to stop?” Betty runs a hand through her hair, frustrated with herself. With _everything._ “That speech I made was what pushed him to terrorize the entire town, and so many people are suffering because of it. Even knowing that, do you still want to be with me?”

_Do you still want to be with a monster?_

“I _do_ ,” Veronica says fiercely, slapping the letter against the table, to Betty’s shock. “When you made that speech, you didn’t _ask_ for anyone to take up a fucking gun and start terrorizing this town. You wanted people to own up to their mistakes and change for the better, and I do, too.”

“Veronica…” Betty says weakly, looking away.

“Betty, you’re what I _know_ you are,” Veronica steps closer to Betty and touches her cheek, eyes filled with softness and warmth. “You’re doing a lot of good in this world, more than _anyone_ I’ve ever met and I’ll ever meet in my life. I see that every day, I’ve seen how you care so much for other people despite everything you’ve been through. So you’re right, I do know what you’re capable of.”

(Part of Betty wants to resist, wants to tell Veronica she’s wrong. That she’s afraid that the darkness lurking inside her might one day cost her what they have.

That she’ll lose Veronica forever because of it.

She’s struggled for so long, fought so hard by herself to survive that it’s become hard for her to readily accept anyone else’s help.

But Veronica’s fighting for her, _with_ her, too, and maybe it’s finally time she stopped trying to do things on her own.

Time that she let go of her pride and fully let Veronica in.)

“And how could I not want to be with you for that?” Veronica murmurs, resting her chin against Betty’s chest.

The words ring inside Betty’s head, making her feel guilty for not coming clean with the letter sooner. For letting her fear cloud her judgment and forcing herself to believe that this is her battle alone.

“Thank you,” Betty screws her eyes shut, wrapping her arms tight around Veronica. “And I’m so sorry, Veronica…”

“Hey, it’s okay. You were scared, but what matters is that you opened up to me,” Veronica says softly, reassuringly. “None of this is your fault, and I’m not letting you fight this battle alone. You have me, Betty, no matter what.”

_You have me._

“Okay,” Betty nods, breathing out slowly. Hugs Veronica tighter and lets the final wall come crashing down.

_You have me._

And Betty promises herself to never doubt it again.


End file.
